TWO brothers are embarking upon an intrepid survival race for charity.

Steven and Gary Dhiman are flying to Belize next Friday to take part in a jungle marathon called Escape from the Jungle.

Steven and Gary, who both live in Furze Hill, Hove, will do six days of intense training and then spend a night completely alone in the jungle to qualify to do the race, which is a 200km trek over six days.

Steven said: “I said I would do it for a joke at first.

“My brother sent me the link to the race, and somehow we decided we were both up for it.

“When we arrive we do special forces training, and they will teach us things like how to to catch fish and how to set up a fire.

“If they’re satisfied we pass the tests, they’ll let us do the race.”

Steven said Escape from the Jungle is different from other jungle marathons because he and his brother will be travelling as a pair, rather than as part of a big group.

The 33-year-old said: “With this race you have to be completely self sufficient, and our team is just me and my brother.

“They take all teams into the jungle separately and spread us out so we’re equidistant from the first checkpoint.

“We’ll have a compass and there’s one check point each day that we have to reach, but we can only stay there for one hour before moving on.

“The navigation part is going to be really tough, but we’ll also be constantly crossing rivers which have anacondas and crocodiles. That’s the scariest part for me.”

Steve said that he and his brother Gary, 37, get on well and have previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro together.

He said: “We’re actually really not that adventurous, but we’re quite competitive with each other. But we support each other too.

“But this race is off the chart. We may have pushed it too far.”

The intrepid pair have joined an orienteering group to practise using a compass and have been doing intensive training – even running with wet feet.

Steven said: “We’ve done about 1,100 miles of training between us over the last seven months.

“We practise running in a heat chamber at Sportswise in Eastbourne, where we turn up the temperature to 35 degrees.”

Steven and Gary are raising money for the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity and Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) in London, which treats children from all over the UK.

Steven said: “My niece was treated for arthritis at Gosh when she was nine, and they were amazing.

“I’ve done human rights activism in Palestine and have seen the medical issues there, so it’s a cause close to my heart.

Steven said support for their race so far has been “tremendous” and they have raised more than £5,000,

He said: “If you win the race you get the glory of being a champion, but we just want to complete it.

“We are going to enjoy a holiday afterwards. Hopefully it will be a celebration.”

To donate, go to virginmoneygiving.com and search for Gary and Steven Dhiman’s Jungle Marathon page.